Last weekend, Gibson quickly pulled its "Play Authentic" video from YouTube after it was met with nearly universal scorn from the guitar community.
Featuring Gibson's Director of Brand Experience Mark Agnesi intoning into the camera, it carried a threatening message to rival brands that make guitars with body shapes and design elements similar to Gibson models: "You have been warned. We're looking out and we're here to protect our iconic legacy." (You can still find the video here.)
Today, Guitar.com is reporting that even before the video was released, Gibson had already taken action, filing a trademark violation lawsuit against Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, which owns both Dean and Luna Guitars, in May.
With numerous claims—including "trademark infringement, trademark counterfeiting, unfair competition, and trademark dilution"—Gibson is seeking damages of millions of dollars, "comprising Armadillo’s profits, damages sustained by Gibson, and the costs of the action."
If this strikes observers as the type of move one could expect in the Henry Juszkiewicz era, before new CEO JC Curleigh revived the company and set about on a public re-branding campaign, well, you wouldn't be wrong. As Guitar.com reports, a cease-and-desist letter to Armadillo was first sent pre-bankruptcy, in October 2017, with JC and other new executives renewing the fight this May.
For more on the Gibson lawsuit, read the whole story at Guitar.com.